'Team Estelle' grows in support of sick girl's family

Wednesday

Jul 30, 2014 at 2:08 AMJul 30, 2014 at 8:49 PM

Whether it's through the sale of T-shirts or the game of football, contributions from Team Estelle – the name given to Estelle's supporters – continue to grow each day. In recent days, thousands of dollars have poured in to help the Martinez family pay for Estelle's medical bills and other expenses.

Patrick Ronan The Patriot Ledger @pronan_Ledger

QUINCY – With little Estelle Martinez, 3, in hospice care with terminal brain cancer, local residents are finding new ways to help the girl’s family.

Whether it’s through the sale of T-shirts or the game of football, contributions from Team Estelle – the name given to Estelle’s supporters – continue to grow each day. In recent days, thousands of dollars have poured in to help the Martinez family pay for Estelle’s medical bills and other expenses.

“The last thing they should have to worry about at this time is money,” said Vanessa Wright, 23, a friend of the Martinez family from Rockland.

Last year, Estelle was diagnosed with an atypical teratoid/rhabdoid tumor, or AT/RT, which is a very rare, fast-growing tumor of the brain and spinal cord. Estelle’s family moved from Texas to Quincy so she could receive treatment at Boston Children’s Hospital.

This past Saturday, princesses from the Disney film “Frozen” visited Estelle in her home during a block party held for the precocious 3-year-old. Many of the party’s guests wore “Team Estelle” T-shirts, sold to raise money for her family.

Wright, who came up with the idea for the shirts, said sales have generated $4,000 for the Martinez family, which consists of parents Alicia, a Rockland native, and Patrick, and their two kids, Estelle and Jack, 2.

Wright said clothing distributor J.W. Ritchie of Rockland made 200 “Team Estelle” shirts for free. People can order shirts by visiting teespring.com/teamestelle.

In a separate fundraiser on GiveForward.com, more than $7,000 had been raised for the Martinez family as of this morning. People can donate by visiting tinyurl.com/teamestelle.

People can also donate by visiting any Rockland Trust branch and donating to “Team Estelle.”

On Friday, Melissa Newell, a friend of the Martinez family, will launch a fundraiser on ThirtyOneGifts.com, which sells different types of bags. Newell, a consultant for the site, said all commissions from her sales in the first week of August will go to Estelle’s family. The last fundraiser she did for Boston Children’s Hospital raised about $400 in commissions, she said.

Newell has a 4-year-old son who receives treatment at Children’s Hospital.

“My son has been in and out of Children’s since he was born, so I know what it’s like to be stuck with medical bills,” she said.

Newell is encouraging parents to buy a monkey-themed lunchbox for their kids for the upcoming school year. Because Estelle’s favorite toy is a stuffed monkey, Newell said it would be nice to see schoolchildren across the South Shore holding monkey lunchboxes in honor of Estelle.

In the sports community, the Quincy Militia, a semi-pro football team, collected donations for the Martinez family during its home game this past Saturday at Veterans Stadium. Joe Cellini, 21, of Weymouth, a quarterback and wide receiver for the Militia, came up with the idea to raise money after seeing Estelle’s story on Facebook.

“I felt the need to help,” Cellini said.

The Militia will collect donations, both at the ticket gate and by passing a football helmet around the bleachers, at their three remaining home games on Aug. 9, Aug. 16 and Aug. 23.